The invention relates to a portable, lightweight, and easily maneuverable scrubbing tool comprising a pneumatically powered scrubbing brush interconnected with an elongated tubular, hand-held main support pole for the cleaning or scrubbing of relatively large, irregular surfaces, such as aircraft exteriors. The scrubbing tool also has applicability to polishing, buffing, brightening, and paint stripping.
In the cleaning of exterior aircraft surfaces, a detergent is sprayed onto the surface of the aircraft and then, for proper cleaning, the aircraft surface must be agitated by a brush in order to break the adhesive factor of the soil to the surface. The surface is then rinsed with water for completion of the cleaning procedure. It is known in the art to accomplish the agitation process with hand scrub brushes that are attached to wooden handles of various sizes. The cleaning operator manually agitates the surface of the aircraft by a back and forth scrubbing action which is time consuming and inefficient.
Certain rather sophisticated apparatus for cleaning surfaces of aircraft are known, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,316. Such a system requires a carriage that is positioned adjacent the aircraft and having extensible booms interconnected with the carriage. Such devices are complex and costly, both to manufacture and maintain.
Also known in the art are a variety of rotary brushes used for cleaning a variety of surfaces. Examples of such prior art brushes include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,369,567; 2,000,930; 3,074,088; 3,153,799; and 3,864,780. The present invention has advantages over these prior art brush systems as will be apparent from the description below.